MLS: Union's Hackworth winning despite distractions

CHESTER — John Hackworth’s Philadelphia Union sit second in the Eastern Conference through three matches in 2013. They go into an off week having won two straight — a blizzard-delayed victory at Colorado that was the first against the club in franchise history and a sleet-driven triumph over conference foe New England last week.

The only loss they have to their name is one in which they outplayed the defending Eastern Conference champions for 70 minutes. And they’ve done it all without a truly convincing performance from the midfield, nor any meaningful contributions from one of their biggest offseason acquisitions, striker Conor Casey.

So what questions does Hackworth have to field Wednesday in his weekly press conference? Those concerning players who no longer want to be part of his rebuilding project.

The Union can finally see a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel of the months-long saga involving Freddy Adu, with a deal with Brazilian side Bahia nearing consummation. In addition to getting the 23-year-old off their balance sheet, the Union also face the possibility of getting back tangible returns in the form of Brazilian midfielder Kleberson, he of World Cup fame and Manchester United infamy.

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Also on the transfer front was the revelation this week that central defender Bakary Soumare requested a trade after the season opener against Sporting KC. The Malian international who arrived last summer with advanced billing of being a backline anchor may very well leave in a few weeks’ time, having made one appearance in nearly a year.

It’s no wonder that the relief in Hackworth’s voice was palpable when he finally got to answer a question concerning this weekend’s friendly with Mexican side Pumas.

It’s a daunting task that Hackworth has faced in his first full season at the helm. Not only has he sought to stamp his authority on the club, but there’s the tacit implication that such a process involves sweeping out the pieces left by his predecessor. (It’s no coincidence, perhaps, that Soumare was acquired just weeks before Peter Nowak was axed and that pictures of Adu and Nowak smiling on the dais when he was triumphantly unveiled to the public in 2011 look like media-guide-cover glamour shots.)

But Hackworth has had the support of the club on decisions that he and his technical staff have made and stood by, and it’s hard not to see a correlation with the results on the pitch for that faith.

Take the Adu decision, which had the makings of a public relations nightmare were Adu’s performances and general persona more akin to the affable superstar he was trumpeted as being upon his arrival.

“I don’t feel that pressure, and I’ll tell you that our ownership has been great in this whole process and so has the front office in supporting the coach’s decision,” Hackworth said about the need to return something for Adu. “We tried to be very clear about what our intentions are the entire time. The pressure from an outsider’s standpoint, I don’t know about. All I can do is manage what I can.”

That management now stands to be rewarded.

For a midfield seeking an identity and a consistent direction, Kleberson could be a boon, bringing years of experience and a steady hand in the engine room. If the deal is done and Kleberson meets expectations, he could be precisely the type of selection staple that has been conspicuously absent from a rotating midfield this season.

For a defense that has had the same four players on the pitch for all 270 minutes this season — led by the rock-solid central defense pairing of veteran Jeff Parke and emerging talent Amobi Okugo — and adequate cover on the bench, resolving the Soumare situation could forestall unnecessary unrest.

Through the tumult, Hackworth has managed, even over a small sample size, to craft a winning team.